The Independent Research Project (IRP)
What is the IRP?
The Independent Research Project (IRP) is the capstone project of the second year of the Master of Fine Arts program at Rose Bruford College and Arthaus.Berlin. The process involved an independent, months-long research project that I completed in Berlin. During the final two weeks, I collaborated with a small ensemble of three actors, including Maria Sotiropoulou, Sean Lang, and Sigrid Norheim Ørntoft, who worked with me to bring my research into the world of the clown and onto the stage.
My Research Inquiry
My Independent Research Project (IRP) investigated the relationship between division, trauma, healing, and the process of devising original theatre. Drawing from my two years in the Master of Fine Arts course at Rose Bruford College and Arthaus.Berlin, I examined how theatrical spaces can serve as containers for exploring and integrating various forms of division.
My process involved a number of methods: a trauma-informed devising practice, myth writing, and the mask of the clown, while using Berlin’s historical and socio-political divisions as an inspiration. Through the development of a trauma-informed creative process and the writing of an original myth, I discovered how theatrical practices might facilitate a deeper inquiry into how we explore emergent themes of division within artistic work. This research culminated in a 25-minute performance, at the 2024 Arthaus.Berlin Festival, which explored these themes through the mask of the clown.
My process contributes to ongoing conversations about trauma-informed artistic practices while offering a practical framework for creating a safer, more intentional collaborative space in theatre devising.
